Quotation Matt Monday: Eating

"Once you've tasted food, why would you want to eat paper?"
- Matt, to Anne, all the time.

Mark of Fridays: the long talk

Santa had no idea how much this little boy had to say! 

(Word on the street is the kid has been very good this year.)

Quotation Mark Mondays: Favorites

"Oh, Dad you're my favori...second-favorite person in the whole world."


Top two!

Mark of Fridays: Anne feeding

"I decided I like my sister now."

Quotation Mark Mondays: Roses

"Mom, you smell like hot roses."
- Mark, to Lynne, one morning. He meant it as a compliment. We think.

Quotation Mark Mondays: Hair color

Mark (to Matt): "Dad, my hair is yellow but it is turning brown like your hair. Your hair is turning white! But that's just because you are almost middle age."

Ten Month Anne-iversary

The stats: I weigh 21 lbs, 9 oz (that's in the 85th percentile) and am a little more than 24 inches long (30th percentile)... although mom doubts that the nurse who did the measuring got things exactly right.  But, even with a little margin of error, I'm pretty chunky and short.  In fact, I'm even "growing out of" some of my 12 month clothes, not because they're too big but because they're too tight in the tummy.  They ride up and get stuck under my armpits.

Favorite place:  Anywhere I'm not supposed to be, doing anything my mom, dad, or brother disapprove of.  For example, I like climbing the stairs (not allowed), opening the glass doors and getting into Dad's TV cabinet (not allowed).  Then I go back to the stairs, then pull up on a table/end table/coach/coloring table and throw everything I can reach crashing onto the floor.  Then I try stairs again, then stairs, then over to the dog bowl and try to eat his food (not allowed).  Then stairs, then I crash over my brother's block tower, then stairs.  Then I find a paper he left on the floor, shred it, and eat it (not allowed).  Then, usually, stairs again.

Things I like:  Waving, pulling up, looking at myself in the mirror, smearing food all over myself, crawling everywhere, pointing stuff out to my parents or brother.  I also like lunging for things.  And the aforementioned getting into stuff.

Things I don't like:  Getting dressed (it takes two people to hold me down) or putting on my coat.  Getting strapped into the car.  Getting put into my playpen.  Really, I don't like to be contained in any way, and I don't like people getting in the way of my exploring.  If they try to take me off the stairs, or do "the sweep" to get shreds of paper/carpet/dust bunny out of my mouth, or pull me out of the TV cabinet or take my hands off the food dish, I flop myself in half on the floor with my head between my feet and wail as hard as I can.  For a whole like 4 seconds.  Then I realize there are more things to get into and just start crawling again.

Major accomplishments:  I've learned to laught whenever anyone else laughs or when you say the word "laugh."  It's hilarious.  I have also helped my parents build amazing arm muscles.  I have tried (and liked!) more foods than my brother.  After a mere 10 months of being a Baby Ninja, I have forced my parents to buy a bigger house.  (They forsee lots of gates.)

Anne's Christening

 

On November 3, we had Annie christened at Matt's family church in Hoffman Estates.  It was a really nice day, and we were happy that so many of our family members could be there to celebrate with us.

On the left is Anne in her christening dress.  Doesn't she look she jumped out of one of those old-timey photographs?

Mark and Anne of Fridays: Halloween

 

Attached are some pictures of Hanley Family Halloween.  We had a great time as Woody, Jessie, Buzz, and an OOOOOhhhh Guy.

  

Mark of Tuesday Night: Punkin Carving

Attached are some photos from tonight's pumpin carving session.  Mark drew the face and did a good bit of the scooping himself.  He needed a little help with the cutting.  Anne even "helped" a little, too.

Just for fun:  Can you spot the Mommy Elmo photo bomb?

Nine Month Anne-iversary

The stats: Well, I’m in 12 month clothes now, which makes me a healthy girl. Grandma says I’m looking less chubby all the time. While Mommy thinks I'm very pretty and is glad I'm such a happy baby, she not so sure about the "less chubby" part.

Favorite place: Everywhere! I like crawling all over the house looking for (a) toys Mark has left in my reach, (b) electric cords or plugs, (c) tiny specks of lint/dust/hair/paper/plastic bag to covertly shove in my mouth or (d) dog food. I am also sneaky quiet for a baby who can’t even walk yet.

Things I like: Feeding myself in my high chair. I’m not so crazy about taking the bottles these days or having the mushy stuff in the jars. I want to do it myself! And I’ll eat anything they put in front of me, despite the fact that I only have four teeth (two tops, two bottoms) and they don’t even line up. I also like standing up. Sometimes my parents try to sit me on the floor and I refuse to bend at the waist so they’re stuck holding me up. Other times I pull myself up on whatever I can reach—grandma’s ottoman, my toy box, the stairs or stair rail. Mom and dad are locking everything up now to prep for when I start walking.

Things I don't like: Holding still or being confined in any way. If someone tries to hold me—even to walk me around the room—I just start lunging and trying to force my way out of their arms. You should see my parents try to dress me! They had to move the changing table to the floor, because I roll over mid-diapering and try to crawl away with no pants on. Once they get on the diaper, they chase me around the room trying to shove pants on my legs while they’re moving and I’m yelling about it. It’s actually best if someone holds me under my armpits, with my feet dangling, to attempt any sort of dressing maneuver. And I still writhe around and kick them with all my might until they put me back down. Then, once I’m dressed, I resume being my unusually happy and smiley self. Also, I don’t like socks. I can have them off my feet and mysteriously missing in one minute or less.

Major accomplishments: Crawling, pulling up, trying lots of new foods. I can also do “So Big!” (arms up!), wave hello and bye-bye, blow kisses. I think all of these tricks are hilarious, so whenever someone asks me to do one of them I throw in the rest… my own “So Big-hello-kiss-bye-bye” maneuver. I also wave hello and blow kisses without being prompted sometimes, like when I see mom for the first time each morning. And I

mash my teeth and say num-num-num whenever I see someone eating. That's my way of saying "I want some too!" and I'll strart screeching if you don't feed me.

Quotation Mark Mondays: Dancing Shoes

 

Mark was the Ring Bearer at Aunt Leslie and Uncle Martin's wedding on Saturday.  He did a great job and had a wonderful time.  His favorite part was the dance party (with riding in the limo a close second).  Here's a conversation we had about his dance skills:

Lynne:  Did you have fun dancing at the wedding?
Mark:  I did. But I'm sad that we can't do the dancing anymore.
Lynne:  What do you mean?  We can have a dance party in our house whenever we want!
Mark:  No, I can't do my spins without my pointy shoes.  The spins don't work in regular shoes.  Spins work best when the shoes are very pointy.  And if you want to upside-down spins, you would need a pointy hat.

Noted, little man.  Noted.

Anne of Fridays: Bang, bang, bang on the bowls, baby

She's reached the age at which shiny bowls are much more fun than toys.  And said shiny bowls are even MORE fun if they're across the room... or something she's not supposed to get into... or have recently been licked by the dog.

Quotation Mark Mondays: Fit Talk

Lately, Mark has been having fits.  Giant, throw-himself-on-the-ground-kicking-and-screaming (and hitting) fits.  Most of these, we figure, are because Anne is mobile and getting into his stuff.  We've been working with Mark on communicating his feelings without yelling or hitting, and we've set aside some space for Mark to play sister-free.

But we've also been doing a lot of Putting the Smack Down.

Here's some hightlights from a recent Smack Down Session:

Matt:  I know Anne wants to do what you do and play with your toys, and that can be frustrating sometimes.  But it's really because she wants to be just like you and do what you do.  Don't you sometimes want to be like me?  And do what I do, even though you're littler?
Mark:  No.  I want to be like mom.
Matt:  Oh yeah, why?
Mark:  She knows how to do more things than you.

Then, later, after several hours of sitting alone in his room, without any of his toys or anything to do but talk about his behavior:

Mark:  I am going to be ready to talk about my behavior in a few minutes.  I gave each of us a guy to sit next to us while we talk.  Dad, you have Baby Elmo.  Mom, you have Knuffle Bunny.  I have Grover.  Is everyone ready?  (insert dramatic pause here)  Then I get to go first because my guy has the biggest eyes.

Mark and Anne of Fridays: How do you like them apples?

Last Sunday, the whole Hanley-Seago-almost Bell clan headed out to the apple orchard for some good old-fashioned fall fun.  We had beautiful weather, a great time, and as you can imagine (at 1/4 peck apiece) a whole heck of a lot of fresh-picked apples!

Mark carefully followed the rules (it's OK to eat apples off the trees, but you have to eat the whole thing) and even Annie tried some!

Mark of Fridays: Birthday Re-cap

 

Some photos of Mark's birthday are attached.  He chose the theme--states--and asked that everyone wear a shirt with a state on it.  He made the party hats.  Luckily, he has a family full of Gamers, and they all played along...  even Uncle Tom, who Mark told there is no such thing as East Virginia--it's called Maryland.

 

It was fun party, complete with a state cake and a State Challenge Game that required players to match each state with its postal code.  Mark almost beat Aunt Laura!  And everyone, including Mark, had a great time.

 

In fact, he had so much fun he threw up.  Literally.

 

Eight month Anne-iversary

The stats: I'm just a plain old healthy little girl. I'm too big for my bouncy chair and big enough for a high chair. I'm too big for the baby carrier, but not big enough to sit facing forward. I'm big enough to aggravate my brother, but not big enough to play with him. And I fit perfectly in my mom's arms, but I never lie still.

Best friends: My brother, of course. I light up whenever he walks into the room. Now, for some reason or another, he doesn't seem to share the same enthusiasm for me. I've heard that Mark always says nice things about when I'm not around, but not so much when I show up near his toys. Despite the fact that he made a rule that he can play with any of my toys whenever he chooses, there doesn't seem to be reciprocation. He's constantly worried I'm going to grab his letters, his cars, his markers, his Presidential flash cards, his math game...actually, now that I think about it, a Presidential flash card would be pretty tasty. Mmmmm....presidential flash cards. Yum. I won't eat them. Maybe just gum them up for a little while. Mmmmm....

Enemies:  Can you even imagine what it would be like if bits of hard bone started erupting out of your body? What if you were just sitting there, minding your own business, laughing at a sock, when teeth started growing right out your hands or ears? Wouldn't feel too good, would it? Well, it doesn't feel much better coming out of your mouth. Trust me on this. I've got two on the bottom and a batch more popping out on the top. They hurt! So, sure, I cried. For like a minute or two. But that's a lot for me!

Favorite place: My favorite place is....right...over...there. No, wait. It's ... right ... over ... there. In fact, it's wherever I see somet

hing I can grab. (And I have some laser vision. I can spot a speck of paper at 500 yards.) So, my whole house is now my favorite place. I just slap my hands down on the ground and drag myself all over the room. Dad says it's not an official crawl because I don't lift up belly, but what does he know? He hasn't crawled in, like three centuries. He's really very old.

Things I like: I like to eat people's faces. One of my favorite people's faces to eat is my cousin, Hannah. Whenever I look at her I think: "That girl is adorable. I think I'll just grab her cheeks and munch on her nose." Hannah doesn't seem to understand why this is fun. She's quite terrified by it, actually. But do I let that stop me? No way!

Things I don't like:  As I mentioned before, laying still is generally pointless. I have places to go. And I don't care if I have to dive out of an adult's arms to get there. It doesn't matter to me if I'm having my diaper changed or my parents are dressing me. I don't even care if I don't know where I'm going. I just have to go! Right now!

Major accomplishments: I almost wave a little, which I think is hilarious. I babble, which I think is hilarious. I've worked out an incredibly high pitched scream, which I think is hilarious. I found a little girl who looks just like me in these big glass windows in the bathroom. I think that little girl is hilarious. 

Mark of Fridays: The Four Year Mark

Today our Mark is 4 years old.  And he really is becoming a big boy.

In many ways he’s like a lot of other kids his age:  he likes playing outside, practicing his writing, and going to school.  He loves Children’s Chapel, where the kids sit with a pastor and sing, and snack time.  He takes swimming lessons, but he can’t really swim yet.  He enjoys being first and “writing” in our toilet (and walls and floor) with his pee.  He likes to play at the park and go on a walk around the block each night, so he can give a hug to each of the trees in our local park.  He has a few boys he calls his friends.

At 4, there is so much he already knows.  He’s able to read simple books by himself, with very little guidance from us.  He can add and subtract, and he’s starting to use multiplication and division.  He knows all the states (and their postal codes), and he can find them on a map.  He knows most of the presidents, in order, and can tell you which ones died or were assassinated before the end of their term.  He knows Grover Cleveland held two terms, non-consecutive.  He can tell you the story of Jackie Robinson, his favorite baseball player. He knows all the bones in the body and an amazing number of animal facts.  He’s memorized all the holidays and the birthdays of everyone we know.  

He’s also starting to move like a kid, rather than a toddler.  He’s still clumsy—we rarely make it through dinner without a spilled drink or splattered yogurt, and he still gets distracted while walking and trips over toys or bumps into walls—but he runs with the fluid motion of a child.  He can use a big boy swing (with someone pushing), climb up all playground equipment unassisted, and ride a big boy bike.  He still can’t catch, but he can hit a baseball.

Our Mark at age 4 is a comfortable, confident kid.  He talks to everyone—grocery store cashiers, waitresses, strangers in the mall.  He orders his own food in every restaurant, and he’s like a celebrity in our bank.  When he comes in, people come out from behind counters and desks to hear him count the money and tell them which president is on each bill.  He also approaches kids on the playground, asks them their name and if they want to play.  He tells the girls at school they look pretty and approaches other boys on the street to tell them that dogs have phalanges just like people.  He does totally weird stuff—like deciding to pantomime the letters with his body in the middle of the floor at the McDonald’s playland—without regard for who might be watching or what they might think.

And he asks questions all the time.  What do polar bears eat, mom?  Why didn’t Gerald Ford get a second turn as president?  Why aren’t there any penguins on the North Pole?  Why did the Saint Louis Browns move to Baltimore, and when will they be back?  Why do the letters look different in cursored (cursive) than in regular writing?  Why is there a tiny country (Lesotho) inside this other country (South Africa), and why doesn’t that happen anywhere else in the world?  How many fives are in thirty?  Which is higher, heaven or space?  Why aren’t there any girl presidents?  It’s wonderful, really… he’s curious, always seeking more information.  But honestly, sometimes it’s also exhausting.

When he’s not asking questions, he’s talking.  Sometimes he’s telling us his plan for the day, step by step, followed by “Okay??” really loud at the end of each sentence.  But a lot of the time he’s just reciting math facts or listing things:  the states, the presidents, letters or numbers in an order that seems random to us but isn’t to him.  And when we’re paying attention to Anne or—heaven forbid—talking to each other, Mark just talks louder.  Or gets closer.  Or repeats himself. Or asks us over and over when it will be his turn to talk.

Sometimes we wish for just a few minutes of silence… for him to go to school, go to bed, or go for a sleepover at Nana’s.  Sometimes we wish he still took a nap.

Sometimes we wish that he were just a little bit older, able to look up information on his own (rather than asking us) or go to a friend’s house and talk to someone else for a little while.

Sometimes we wish he’d grow out of the more bothersome parts about being 4 years old and still adjusting to a new sister.  We’d like to fast-forward through the incredible stalling—especially at bedtime—and the refusal to try new foods.  We’d like to hurry though the terrible fits, when he screams at the top of his lungs in our faces or lashes out to kick or hit.  Or worse, when he gets angry at us in a public place and tries to run away.  We’d like to skip through those nights of holding the doorknob to his room closed while he thrashes and screams inside, those times when we know the rest of the day will full of punishments and talking-tos.  We know we have to bend his will, to teach him to use words and not fists – but doing so isn’t very fun.

And sometimes we’d like to fast-forward through all the competition with his sister, the seemingly endless rounds of questions:  Why is it always her turn?  What happens if she tries to take all my toys away?  What if she ruins my toy?  Why is she screaming?  Why are you holding her?  What will you do if she hits me?  Bites me?  Hurts me?   We try to reassure him, to tell him he’s a good big brother.  We know it’s a huge change for him and that sharing the attention is hard.  But sometimes we wish were through it all—that she were older, more fun, and better able to fend for herself.  We wish he were old enough to understand that she will never take his place, that we have enough love for them both.

Yet every time we express these wishes out loud – our desire to get through early childhood into times that are quieter and easier – we remember that not long from now he’ll be a sulky teenager, plugged into an iPod and unwilling to talk to us.  He’ll have places to go and friends to hang out with, and he’ll be too cool (or, more likely, too awkward and anguished) for mom and dad.

And we remember to cherish our growing boy at 4 years old, who can still – barely – curl up on our laps to hear a story and who cries when we don’t give him enough bedtime kisses.  Our darling boy who can fall asleep at Nana’s house only when he’s clutching our picture, who thinks the ocean is magical, and who starts getting excited about Halloween in July.  Our sweet, special boy who challenges us to be better parents and better people every day, since we are his Good Examples.  Our little boy who tells us we are his #1 and #2 Most Important People, who loves us unconditionally.  And who we love more than words can say.

Quotation Mark Mondays: religious music

Mark: "Dad, you can sing to Jesus and God."
Matt: "Oh, really?"
Mark: "Yeah, so after you sing me my songs, you should sing a song to Jesus and God so they will be able to fall asleep."
Matt: "Oh, well, OK. But I don't think God sleeps."
Mark: "No, Dad, he does. And Jesus sits right next to him. If God gets hungry in the night, Jesus goes and gets him food."

Anne of Fridays: On the Move

These photos of Annie were taken within minutes (if only we could have time-stamped them!).  She can't quite crawl--she gets her belly off the floor, but can't get the legs going with it--but she army crawls like crazy.  She pulls herself forward with her arms and wiggles her legs, dragging her little body across the house pretty darn quickly. 

Matt says she's preparing for basic training.  But she's really on a hunt for hairballs, lint, and dust bunnies.  The goal is to find them and eat them before anyone can stop her.  It's disgusting.

Looks like the floors in the Hanley house are about to get a lot cleaner!

Quotation Mark Mondays: Animals Facts

Leslie:  I think I know which state I will be for your state party, Mark. (For Mark's brithday, everyone was asked to wear state apparel or represent a state.  It's what all the cool 4 year olds are into.)
Mark:  What?
Leslie:  I'm going to be Alaska!  I'll wear all white and wear my penguin hat.
Mark:  Penguins don't live in Alaska, Aunt Leslie.
Leslie:  What??  They don't?
Mark:  Penguins only live in Antarctica, South Africa, and New Zeland.  And those are not states.

---

Lynne:  Why don't we go upstairs and get dressed?  We can go super fast--like ninjas!
Mark:  Ninjas are not any faster than regular people.
Lynne:  Well, what's fast then?
Mark:  Cheetahs.  But they're only fast for short distances.

Anne and Her Reflection of Fridays: Kiss the Baby

"Because I'm good enough, and I'm smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like me!!"

Mark of Fridays: Making Lists

Mark is big into making lists.  Lists of the planets, the months, the birthdays of everyone he knows, animals at the zoo, reptiles, his baseball cards.  Somtimes he finds paper laying around the house, then borrows it to make all of the words or numbers on the page into a list. 

The pictures below feature list-making at work.  On the right, Mark is working on his grocery list for the weekly Hanley Family Grocery Store Run. He then carried his list through the store and checked items off as we put them into the cart.

On the right is Mark's answer to mom and dad's daily questions about his day.  The title:  Fun Day.  Then he listed everything he did.  When we asked further questions, he told us to refer to the front sidewalk.

Mark of Fridays: Play Ball!

Matt and Mark, after their first-ever father-son game of catch.  Matt says in was one of his Top 5 Days, ever.  And that's despite the fact that the ball didn't land in Mark's glove even once.  But he did catch one with his chin.

Quotation Mark Mondays: A question

Mark:  "Hey mom, where is your five-head?"

Seven Month Anne-iversary



Yep, she's a drooler!

The stats:  My doctor says I weigh just over 18.5 lbs, which puts me in the 80th percentile.  They swear I feel even heavier, though.  It must be because I'm into trying to dive out of my mom and dad's arms all the time and/or shove things into my mouth with all my strength.

Best friends: My Grandma and Nana.  They have started taking care of me through the week, now that Mom is back to school.  I thought I'd scare them a little first, to keep things interesting, by crying when they held me or trying not to look at them while still in my mommy's arms.  But when push came to shove, I couldn't terrorize them too much.  They are great!  Instead I of crying I just laugh and laugh when they're around.  And sometimes I try to eat their glasses.

Enemies:  Naperville Central High School, the East Aurora School District, and Little Shepherd Day School.  Why does everyone get to go to school but me?

Favorite place:  Everywhere.  Seriously.  I am a very happy girl.

Things I like: Talking!  I can't say real words yet, just "mamamamama" (my mom likes to think I'm calling her name) and "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHKKKK" (my grandma thinks I'm calling the dog).  I know this is all baby babble still, but I've got to start warming up the ol' vocal chords.  It's going to be hard to get a word in edgewise.

Things I don't like:  Things I can't reach or eat.  I'm trying to figure out this crawling thing--I mostly scoot on my tummy and reach my arms out as far as I can--but there are always tasty looking things that I can't quite grasp onto.  Like blades of grass.  Or my brother's magnetic letters.  Or the dog's ears.  Or the remote.  Why won't they ever let me eat the remote??? 

Major accomplishments:  Eating more food (sometimes I'll swallow the cereal or some baby purees), babbling, playing with lots of toys on the floor, being generally cute and smiley and accommodating.





Mark and Anne of Fridays: The Beach

 

We're a little bit behind here in the Hanley house--summer is over and we're all back to school--but we thought we'd post some photos from our summer vacation to Myrtle Beach.  We had a great time!

Mark really enjoyed seeing, playing in, and talking about the ocean (ad nauseum).  Lynne and Matt enjoyed seeing the ocean through the eyes of a child.

And Anne? ... She was just as happy near the ocean as anywhere else (which is pretty darn happy).

 

Mark and Anne of Fridays: Something Strange

 

Closely analyze the following picture of Mark and Anne, taken at random the other day.

 

What did you notice first?  That the boy is wearing a baseball glove in the house, or that he has also forgotten his pants?